Scout jamboree a logistical exercise of epic proportions

Hannah Busch
eatures and Special Publications Editor
Hannah began writing for APN newspapers in Hervey Bay and Maryborough in 2011, writing about everything from the prize-winning sausages to murder trials. She joined the team at the Queensland Times in early 2014 as editor of City Heart and Roughin It magazines.

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FIREWORKS and a welcoming concert are set to launch the huge 2013 Australian Scout Jamboree at Maryborough showgrounds on Wednesday night, and entertain 12,000 young scouts and leaders from across the world.

Contingents from Western Australia, Victoria and countries including Japan and New Zealand are expected to arrive on Wednesday ahead of opening night.

Each state has spent weeks planning their own camp display, including a whale-shaped entrance for Queensland.

It has taken years of planning to stage the event, which has its own radio station, newspaper, circus tent and mall.

Logistics director Tim Gibbings said a simple meal such as sausages on bread required huge numbers.

"That's 24,000 sausages just to feed people two sausages each," he said.

Each day, 542 eskies and 1084 crates will be used to deliver dinner and breakfast supplies to each troop.

The small team of logistics volunteers must divide up the food delivered each day for the different troops.

"Our day begins at 3am when the bread arrives," Mr Gibbons said.

"We've got to break that down and get it to the campsites by breakfast at 5.30am."

The team will also hand out 300,000 poppers and muesli bars over the 10 days to keep the scouts going between meals.

Activities will start for the troops tomorrow, with some staying on site and some heading to Maryborough or Hervey Bay.

The fun includes a treasure hunt across Maryborough, a trip to the beach at Hervey Bay, navigating a course across the region and a trip to Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast.

Residents around Maryborough can tune into the jamboree's radio station on 90.9FM.

People on the Fraser Coast who would like to visit the jamboree site can register for visitor's day from January 5 to 7 for $5.

Only people who pre-register by Friday will be able to go to the site.